MTFBMP Chapter 26

The flying beast gripped it tightly in its claws and refused to let go of the cloak.

 

“Give it to the baby.”

 

— Wasn’t it mine to have?

 

“I’ll get another one later.”

 

Only then did Adelaine relent and hand the cloak back to me, though not without a hint of displeasure.

 

“Do you think I can’t have my…clothes back yet?”

 

I stammered, not quite sure how to say the word underwear. Even in his current state, as an unworldly beast, Adelaine was abashed.

 

— This can’t be right.

 

Adelaine turned away, refusing to give it back. I got a good look at my underwear, wrapped tightly around his wings.

 

My face flushed again at the sight, and I quickly looked away. Then I placed the returned cloak in the cage with the ghost bird.

 

All the other animals in the cage were adults, but the ghost bird was a chick. Knowing what this bird would become in the future, I couldn’t just leave it alone.

 

— So it wasn’t just this body you were healing.

 

“What? I didn’t hear you.”

 

— It’s nothing.

 

Adelaine grunted a few more times. The beast’s voice was indistinguishable once it began to mumble.

 

“How do you feel?”

 

Although I knew this was not an injury that would heal overnight, Adelaine’s words made me hopeful.

 

— I told you that I was definitely not returning your clothes.

 

The way Adelaine paraphrased my words made me pout.

 

— Give me some strength, not the other beasts.

 

“I’m sorry, but I have to leave early today.”

 

I could see the beast’s face twist into a grimace, and it wasn’t because he was upset with me. 

 

He was just impatient about the ghost bird, but he wasn’t supposed to be here at this hour.

 

— Didn’t you come just now?

 

“I have an appointment in the morning.”

 

This was all due to Adelaine’s greed. I got up, fixing my hat.

 

— How dare you prioritize the ship’s master over me.

 

“That’s not right, I have to work on the ship today, so I’ll come back in the afternoon.”

 

— Trying to divide time by the sun here doesn’t work.

 

At Adelaine’s retort, I squinted and looked over the cage toward the beast.

 

“With all the beasts you’ve sent my way, I don’t see how you don’t know.”

 

— Hah!

 

Adelaine sighed heavily for the last time, and then lay down completely. No matter how huge the beast was, they all looked alike to her in the dark.

 

— …Why didn’t she leave?

 

I wonder if I could really take Adelaine as a pet?

 

The beast’s eyes held favor for me. It wasn’t intimidating, and it wanted something from me.

And yet it was still trapped in its cage, its wings injured and unable to fly.

 

‘Not yet…, shouldn’t I stay and help him?’

 

Complacency set in. I decided to wait and see how his wounds healed before deciding.

 

“Just wait patiently, and I’ll be back.”

 

With that promise, I left.

 

Other threats on this ship needed to be checked.

 

✨ 

 

My routine had been set, breakfast with Dion, lunch in the kitchen, and a visit to Adelaine at the end of the day.

 

“Who ordered extra roasted chicken legs!”

 

It wasn’t hard to adjust to the kitchen routine.

 

“Uh-oh, here, here!”

 

“Yay!”

 

The first few days were a struggle, but once I got the hang of it, it didn’t seem that different from what I’d done at the inn.

 

Now it was possible to serve while thinking about something else. Keeping my facial expressions under wraps and moving skillfully, I diligently glanced around. 

 

My head spun as I identified and familiarized myself with people’s faces.

 

‘There are definitely some familiar faces.’ 

 

In addition to Rhodon, I recognized others from my visions.

 

Over the next few days, I identified every single sailor aboard the ship. 

 

The crew seemed to take three shifts at meals, and after just two days in the kitchen, I knew everyone’s face without trouble.

 

Except that I hadn’t yet made up my mind about which beast I wanted as a pet, I was dutifully gathering information.

 

‘Dion was supposed to still be on Pirate Island, but maybe the rumors of my parchment made him leap ahead.’

 

I felt a little bad about that.

 

‘And this ship will end up abandoned as a ghost ship.’

 

I didn’t want to be part of that ghost ship.

 

“I dismissed him as a kid, and it worked!”

 

After finishing cooking one meal’s worth of food, Rhodon sat down behind me, where I was taking a break, and pressed my hat to my head.

 

Whether he’s a former chef or just immersed in the role, he seems to be quite serious about his work in the kitchen. 

 

Judging by the way he appraised me generously for tucking my hair back neatly into a tight bun, I’d say he took it in stride.

 

‘Considering you work so close to the fire, I guess being a chef is a natural job.’

 

I wondered why he hadn’t made better use of that route and switched lines halfway through.

 

“All right, those of you who want more, come on out!”

 

Rhodon’s emergence from the kitchen meant that the food was ready, and this meal would soon be over. 

 

Some sailors were furiously moving their cutlery around, eager to get another bite, while others were moving more slowly, as if they wanted to rest a little longer.

 

“I thought you were too pretty to work, but you’re quite the workaholic.”

 

The latter were the only ones who spoke up. As soon as the other sailors began to speak to him, he slipped back into the back and began to organize his belongings.

 

It became my job to entertain them here.

 

“An inn of sorts…, the heir apparent.”

 

I said, narrowly avoiding saying, daughter.

 

“Hmph. If you’re the heir, why did you insist on onboarding the ship? You won’t be going home for a while.”

 

“I’ve never been away from it, and I wanted to see more of the world.”

 

“Yeah, everyone thinks that at that age.”

 

A few people nearby overheard our conversation and burst out laughing. It was obvious that they took it as a young man’s joke, but they didn’t laugh at it.

 

In fact, it’s probably weirder to be on a ship like this without such a past.

 

“I hear we’re not stopping at Pirate Island, which is a shame, because I’d love to go there.”

 

A beat after I finished, the sailors exchanged glances and then burst into another round of laughter. 

 

Unlike the previous laughs, this one had a meaning behind it. My brow furrowed.

 

“No one knows yet whether we’ll dock at Pirate Island, or not, or somewhere else.”

 

“Right. That’s right. When was the last time you got to choose your own path?”

 

“I still think you’re a bit…, reckless with your schedule, Mr. Navigator. You’re going to have to give him a reality check soon.”

 

The Captain insisted that they were not stopping at the island. But the crew was suspicious of the order, not fully trusting the Captain’s word.

 

Crucially, they were subtly ignoring Dion behind his back.

 

“Just in case. What did you want to do when we docked there?”

 

The words, spoken with a fist on his shoulder, were no longer assumptions, but certainties.

 

“That’s assuming we dock, so I’m not going to tell you right now.”

 

Dion was being ignored like this, and I realized that he must be feeling pretty bad.

 

“Hmm. I hope I didn’t misspeak settling as anchorage. Kid, if you’re guilty of something, tell me. It’s not the kind of place that accepts just anyone like you think.”

 

“You can hang my wrists. I’m innocent.”

 

There was another laugh, this time an overtly mocking one. I clapped my hands, as if to say, ‘I’ve learned my lesson.’

 

“What the hell. This is so…

 

His slightly unfocused gaze swept over the sailors in the kitchen.

 

‘It’s no different from an inn.’ 

 

Maybe it was because they were sailors, after all, and they were no different from the customers I’d been dealing with.

 

It was a bit disconcerting,

 

“Don’t you dare put your hands on it, or you’ll end up like me.”

 

The only difference was the heavy voice behind me.

 

Bang—

 

As if to lighten the mood, a series of loud bangs rang out as heavy luggage was dropped.